Category Archives: Aion

Niche and Mass Market: One big happy MMO genre

Posted on October 6, 2009 by SynCaine

We are at an interesting point in history with MMOs, highlighted beautifully with the recent re-release of the Asian answer to WoW in Aion and the uber-niche Fallen Earth. One is benefiting from a year of full release under its … Continue reading →

Posted in Aion, Darkfall Online, EVE Online, MMO design, Pirates of the Burning Sea, Rant, SW:TOR, Ultima Online, Warhammer Online, World of Warcraft | 10 Comments

Your MMO won’t have a million subs, sorry Blizzard.

Posted on September 30, 2009 by SynCaine

Tobold and I have a friendly little challenge going (around comment 45 on that post), one that sadly won’t have a result for a few years. The challenge is simple: The next Blizzard MMO won’t reach the popularity of WoW. … Continue reading →

Posted in Age of Conan, Aion, Dark Age of Camelot, EQ2, EVE Online, Lord of the Rings Online, MMO design, Site update, SW:TOR, Warhammer Online, World of Warcraft | 57 Comments

The carebears of DarkFall.

Posted on September 18, 2009 by SynCaine

At times (or maybe just on blogs/forums) we get too focused on the type of player we expect to play a certain MMO. WoW is for carebears, LotRO is for role players, DarkFall is for hardcore PvPers, Aion is for … Continue reading →

Posted in Aion, Combat Systems, crafting, Darkfall Online, Lord of the Rings Online, MMO design, PvP, World of Warcraft | 6 Comments

Aion end-game, way ahead of WoW and WAR.

Posted on September 17, 2009 by SynCaine

Found this interview about Aion Abyss PvP after following a few links. After reading it, the WoW PvP grind pre honor revamp sounds tame and fun compared to high-ranked Abyss ‘PvP’, and WAR’s keep swapping has NOTHING on Aion’s PvQ … Continue reading →

Posted in Aion, beta, Combat Systems, Darkfall Online, MMO design, PvP, Warhammer Online | 41 Comments

Day one accessibility from an unlikely source.

Posted on September 9, 2009 by SynCaine

It’s something that has been said before, but it bears repeating: an MMO without levels is just infinitely more accessible than one with, yet the majority of the AAA MMOs out today feature level-gating, and rather than deal with the … Continue reading →

Posted in Aion, Combat Systems, Darkfall Online, MMO design, PvP, World of Warcraft | 31 Comments

What clearing your HD tells you about the state of gaming

Posted on September 8, 2009 by SynCaine

My main gaming PC was in need of a purge (and it looks like I’m not the only one with that idea), and so on Friday I did a hard drive wipe and a fresh install of Vista (which is … Continue reading →

Posted in Aion, Blood Bowl, Darkfall Online, The Casualties Guild, Warhammer Online | 24 Comments

When it comes to open beta, timing is key.

Posted on August 28, 2009 by SynCaine

Out of all the open beta discussions that I’ve seen (is it a free trial, should it be given a pass because it’s a beta, etc), I’ve yet to see anyone mention that timing of an open beta could play … Continue reading →

Posted in Age of Conan, Aion, beta, Blood Bowl, Darkfall Online, MMO design, Warhammer Online | 9 Comments

WoW: Cataclysm, analysis with less snark.

Posted on August 24, 2009 by SynCaine

Leaving the fun and games behind for a minute, it’s time for some ‘serious business’ talk about WoW’s next expansion, and what it really will bring. I’m not talking about the finer details or even the bullet-point list of additions, … Continue reading →

Posted in Aion, Combat Systems, Darkfall Online, Dungeons and Dragons Online, MMO design, Patch Notes, Warhammer Online, World of Warcraft | 39 Comments

F2P MMOs: The land of ‘just good enough’.

Posted on July 9, 2009 by SynCaine

One of the common complaints against the subscription model is that if you only play that MMO sparingly (whatever that may be for you), you are not really getting your moneys worth compared to those who play more. The perceived … Continue reading →

Posted in Aion, Atlantica Online, DDO, Dungeons and Dragons Online, FreeRealms, MMO design, RMT, World of Warcraft | 12 Comments

Quick reactions to all the latest MMO-related happenings

Posted on June 25, 2009 by SynCaine

Too many MMO-related topics flying around in my head and it’s going to take some time to sort it all out. DarkFall: Aside from feeling like a euro in regards to the whole NA deal, the big ‘expansion’ patch is … Continue reading →

Posted in Aion, Darkfall Online, DDO, MMO design, RvR, The Casualties Guild, Warhammer Online | 20 Comments